Friday

The Democratic and Republican parties said Thursday they have a ''high degree of confidence'' that the missile fired at Ralph Nader's third-party candidacy destroyed his presidential campaign.

The Democratic and Republican parties said Thursday they have a ''high degree of confidence'' that the missile fired at Ralph Nader's third-party candidacy destroyed his presidential campaign.

Enlisting the aid of the Pentagon, which had recently shot down a dead U.S. spy satellite in space, the two parties took aim at what they termed Mr. Nader’s "dead campaign."

In its most definitive statement yet on the outcome of the shootdown, the two main political parties said, in a joint statement, that based on their campaign consultants' analysis it is clear that the nonpartisan missile destroyed Nader’s dead campaign, ''reducing, if not eliminating, the risk to people on Earth from the hazards of a presidential bid waged by a non-major party candidate.''

The parties, and their presidential candidates, hailed the successful shootdown of Nader's campaign as a clear example of bipartisan cooperation on an effort of extreme importance to protecting the country's national security.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain praised Nader for his "maverickness," and said he was sorry to see a fellow presidential aspirant even older than him forced from the race."

"But political campaigns are about hard work and sacrifice," Mr. McCain said. "All of us have worked hard to sacrifice Ralph, and I think both our parties are better off for it."

"In Ralph’s case I think it was a question of whether his opponents were going to settle for Ralph Nader as usual," said Obama. "I think the answer is clear and the missile has spoken. Democrats and Republicans want a change. They want a new politics. They want to be able to run against each other without the annoying presence of a third party."

"We need a president who is ready to sit down and eat doughnuts with lobbyists from day one – and that isn’t Ralph Nader," said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. "As a consumer advocate Ralph has done a lot for voters, but what has he done for us? What has he done to help the Democratic or Republican parties? It’s really unfortunate for the country that he doesn’t do more for its two most powerful parties. You’d think at his age he’d know better."

In a telephone interview, Mr. Nader, who turned 74 this week, maintained his presidential bid "was alive and well" even though his campaign had been shot down.

"This isn’t the first time this has happened to me," said Nader.

Mr. Nader insisted that even absent a campaign and voter support, it was still well within his means to raise America’s awareness about his policies.

"This isn’t about the Democrats or the Republicans. This is about me," he said.

Most political observers felt that although Mr. Nader has proven to be a tireless and faithful supporter of himself, that virtue alone was probably not enough to sustain his presidential bid.

One observer said if Nader stays on point and continues to make his arguments for single-payer health insurance, labor law reform, and cracking down on corporate crime, "he runs the risk of sounding sensible."

"It’s a message, but it’s not a message voters are ready for," said the observer. "I’d advise Nader to hone his talking points so they aren’t so laden with meaning."

As of Thursday, there had been no reports of Nader campaign debris landing on Earth, and it is unlikely any will remain intact to impact the ground, the Democratic and Republican parties statement said.

''By all accounts this was a successful mission,'' said a spokesman. ''From the debris analysis, we have a high degree of confidence the campaign was destroyed and its hazardous ideas have been dissipated.''

Still, some observers suggested that though a simple missile might be able to derail Mr. Nader’s campaign, it would never vanquish the fears the Democratic and Republican leaders harbor. These observers argued that Nader’s entry into the race was already having an impact.

They point to discussions among McCain’s campaign advisors about trading in the Straight Talk Express bus for a Chevrolet Corvair — the automobile Mr. Nader warned about in his famous 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed."

Lamented one McCain advisor: "Ralph has already gotten into John’s head and now he’s getting into his transportation. You have to wonder what’s next?"

Philip Maddocks can be reached at pmaddock@cnc.com.

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